It turns out Britain’s love affair with the bacon sandwich is rock solid — but how we actually make it? That’s where things get messy. New research from British meat brand The Jolly Hog reveals that while bacon sarnies remain the ultimate comfort food, the nation is deeply divided over the details, from cooking methods to condiments and even bread choice.
Founded by three food-obsessed brothers, The Jolly Hog set out to answer one of the UK’s most passionately debated questions: what really makes the perfect bacon sandwich? The answer, unsurprisingly, depends on who you ask — and where you’re from.
So…what is the nation’s top bacon sandwich?
According to the data, the UK’s most popular bacon sandwich looks like this:
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Two rashers of smoked back bacon
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Cooked under the grill until slightly crispy
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Served on soft white, untoasted bread
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Finished with a generous dollop of ketchup
A classic combo — but scratch beneath the surface and generational and regional divides quickly appear.
Grill, fry, air fry… or microwave?
Grilling reigns supreme, with nearly half of Brits (48%) choosing it as their go-to cooking method. Millennials aged 35–44 are the most loyal to the grill (55%), while Gen Z prefers the frying pan, with 53% opting to fry their bacon instead.
Air fryers are clearly making their mark, with 27% of Brits now using them to cook bacon. However, tradition still shudders at one finding: 10% of the nation admits to microwaving bacon, prioritising speed over ceremony.
How crispy is too crispy?
Texture matters — a lot. ‘Slightly crispy’ bacon is the nation’s favourite, chosen by 60% of respondents. But younger Brits want more crunch, with a quarter of 18–24s opting for extra crispy rashers. The message is clear: the younger the generation, the louder the crunch.
How many rashers is acceptable?
Brits tend to favour moderation, with two to three rashers per sandwich being the sweet spot. Two rashers is the most common choice overall (43%), but Gen Z once again goes bigger — nearly half (49%) say three rashers is the ideal amount. No judgement here.
Smoked, streaky or sticking to tradition?
Smoked bacon leads overall (50%), while back bacon remains the nation’s preferred cut (51%). Baby Boomers (65+) are the most traditional, with 62% favouring unsmoked back bacon.
Gen Z, however, is reviving streaky bacon, with 31% preferring it — a nod to American-style breakfasts and indulgent brunch culture that continues to trend across the UK food scene.
Bread vs toast: the ultimate showdown
Bread wins decisively over toast, with 73% choosing it for their bacon sandwich. Soft white bread is the national favourite (39%), but regional loyalty runs deep. In Scotland and Yorkshire, the bap takes the crown, with 40% opting for a bread roll.
Younger Brits are quietly switching things up, with 18–24s most likely to choose sourdough (15%), signalling a slow shift towards more artisanal options.
Ketchup, brown sauce… or something spicier?
Condiments may be where opinions are strongest. Ketchup dominates nationwide (50%), followed by HP sauce (32%). A brave 11% even reach for mayonnaise.
Generational lines are stark:
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25–34s are hardcore ketchup loyalists (72.3%)
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Over-55s lean towards brown sauce (33–38%)
Regionally, London leads the ketchup charge (57%), while Northern Ireland shows the most love for HP sauce (45%). Younger Brits are also experimenting, with 30% naming hot sauce as their second-favourite condiment — proof that the bacon sarnie is evolving.
“There’s no single perfect bacon sandwich”
Olly Kohn, one of The Jolly Hog’s founding brothers, says the debate started closer to home:
“We’ve been obsessed with food for as long as we can remember, and bacon has always been right at the top. Our weekend catch-ups turned into heated debates about the right way to build a bacon sandwich — so we decided to let the nation settle the score.”
His own preference? A wholemeal bagel stacked with three thick-cut rashers of black treacle bacon, finished with both ketchup and brown sauce. Chaotic, but committed.
There may be no single perfect bacon sandwich — but Britain’s passion for it is undeniable. Whether you’re team grill or fry, ketchup or brown, white bread or bap, the humble bacon sarnie remains a unifying national obsession.
The The Jolly Hog bacon range is available in supermarkets nationwide, giving everyone the chance to build their own perfect version — whichever side of the great bacon sarnie barney you’re on.
